I would like to thank Ria for saving my life. This is circular story, the only missing bit to the circle is me saying thank you to Ria.

Ria was a work colleague at Goldsmiths University who work in an office next to mine. One day she collapse on the office floor for no apparent reason. Myself and other colleague attended to her whilst waiting for the paramedics. I gently stroked her head and telling her things would be fine whilst we were waiting - she was not speaking at this point. I noticed that she had lost bladder control during this time and told the paramedics when they arrived. She was rush into surgery later that day to remove tumour in her brain. Thankfully she survived. She told me afterwards that the stroking of her head made her think of her Mum and she was comforted by that thought and that helped to keep her calm. She thank me for helping her at that time even though it was just a small gesture.

Now let's go forward 10 years to April 2011. It was lunch time and I had taken the day off work to take my Mum to a hospital appt. I dropped my Mum back home after the appt and when I got back home I felt really tired so I went to lie down on the bed for a rest. I got up to go the toilet and fell back with a headache from hell and I lost bladder control, twice and I felt paralysed. I was all alone. Suddenly Ria came straight into my mind. This is a person that I did not know very well, work colleague that I hadn’t spoken to or seen for 10 years. She told me (in my mind) that this was serious and I need to call 999. So I struggled to reach the phone to call 999. The phone was at the end of bed so I pulled the blanket to reach it. I rang 999 but was about to put the phone down thinking don't waste peoples time when Ria's voice told me DO NOT put the phone down, stay on the line. She was right. I had an aneurysm in the brain which had ruptured and was now bleeding around the brain causing a stroke. I spent a month in Addenbrooke's hospital , with two weeks in Critical Care Unit after a 8 hour operation. As I was alone if Ria hadn't come to me I probably would have not made it.

Ria was originally from Sweden and no longer works at Goldsmith's College. I don't know if she is still living in the UK. But I would love to thank her for coming to me in my time of need.

It is pretty amazing to think you never know why you have certain experiences in life but it may be because you might need that knowledge later in your own life. If I hadn’t seen Ria loose bladder control and had the opportunity to comforted her I would not have known that my headache and loss of bladder control was serious. She was there to help through the moment I needed to seek help and ring 999. Thank you Ria now 'our circle' is complete.